Consumer looking for clarity

Looking for some professional advice or experience please.
I have a home and detached garage that recently suffered some hail damage and wind damage tearing off 3-4 shingles. The current roof is 13 years old and has performed well until now. MY insurance company sent out an adjuster and he concluded 49 square for the house and 13 square for the garage and they issued me a check in a couple of days. I called 4 area roofers and asked for an estimate. All of the roofers are BBB Accredited with an A+ rating.
1. Said he would do the roof for whatever the insurance company gave me. He also pushed very hard for Tamko. (only got out of his truck to hand me his business card) Well know in the area as a storm chaser but in business since 1968. Unprofessional acting.
2. Said they would do the roof in either Certainteed or OC but were over the insurance estimate right from the start by $2500. Did full roof inspection and in business since 1994. (took 3 weeks to get the estimate and the office seems confused)
3. Said he would do the job but was $3500 over the initial insurance estimate. (came unannounced 2 weeks after initial call)
4. Said he would install any brand but he would only offer a full lifetime warranty on GAF. (moderate push to GAF by him) (Roof inspection took more than an hour to complete) His estimate was exactly what the insurance company estimated. In business since 2000. Will not answer questions via email must have a office consultation.

I realize that certain roofers have a stockpile of shingles as in the case of roofer 1 and would like to push their brand. I also realize that each roofer has a contract agreement with a supplier for a certain brand so they push their brand. I am interested in the Certainteed because of color (blue) but am confused as to the warranty and quality of the other brands.

In my research they all seem to be about the same in warranty (am I wrong?) They all seem to be competent roofers with good BBB rating. All the shingles seem to be close on quality as well. (Am I wrong)

Its taken more than two months to get estimates and to get information from 4 roofers and these are the most local in my area (South Carolina) and no one seems really interested in working.

I'm not price fishing, just looking for comment, and expertise about warranty, quality and comment on the situation
Thanks in advance.

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My personal opinion of a new roof is that it is sort of like a new suit; they all meet the basic requirements, and everyone has their opinion of which brand is best, but the detail is in the tailoring. So, again, just an oinion, you want your roof installed by a real roofer, someone you are comfortable with. That said, I belioeve that you are down to two choices, #2 and #4, which is not an uncommon place to be after an initial assessment of 3 or more contractors. As for #4 not operating by email, personally, I would not let that bother me, as maybe he's simply too busy to sit in front of a computer, to old school, or whatever; wouldn't be a make or break thing to me. So, not having seen the roof, therefore knowing nothing about the climate, pitch, etc., that's sort of how I would now travel from two choices to one. By the way, how did number 4 happen to hit it dead on? Did you disclose this to him, or is this perhaps the guy who the insurance company got a price from? Also, and I'm not sure how these things work exactly, as I have fortunately not been personally involved, but if you have it done by someone who wants more than what the insurance company paid, are they open to paying even a portion of the overrun?

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Who does your insurance company work with the most? 3yrs ago I had hail damage and the roofing company I selected knew the State Farm adjustor and knew exactly what State Farm needed so if they are doing any volume in roofing they have got to be working with insurance companies.

My personal opinion of a new roof is that it is sort of like a new suit; they all meet the basic requirements, and everyone has their opinion of which brand is best, but the detail is in the tailoring. So, again, just an oinion, you want your roof installed by a real roofer, someone you are comfortable with. That said, I belioeve that you are down to two choices, #2 and #4, which is not an uncommon place to be after an initial assessment of 3 or more contractors. As for #4 not operating by email, personally, I would not let that bother me, as maybe he's simply too busy to sit in front of a computer, to old school, or whatever; wouldn't be a make or break thing to me. So, not having seen the roof, therefore knowing nothing about the climate, pitch, etc., that's sort of how I would now travel from two choices to one. By the way, how did number 4 happen to hit it dead on? Did you disclose this to him, or is this perhaps the guy who the insurance company got a price from? Also, and I'm not sure how these things work exactly, as I have fortunately not been personally involved, but if you have it done by someone who wants more than what the insurance company paid, are they open to paying even a portion of the overrun?

#4 answered a series of 8 posed questions to him via email. They were answered by the secretary and not him. I asked for a follow up and she said she did not anymore so I had to make an appt. Tomorrow I have the apt.

The climate is the south. Its hot and humid in the summer but I'm close to the mountains so its cold in the winter with snow but its usually rather rare. Pitch is 10-12 to 12-12 slope.
The insurance company uses assessment software to do all of their calculations. Now the adjuster did a through job with measuring and such so to provide the software the best solution. It is possible the roofing company also uses the same software. The insurance company has no connection or knowledge of any of the roofers. They send adjusters from out of state.
If the roofer bids over then the insurance company will question why and ask for justification. IF they pay is based on their assessment of the overages. If it is not justified then you the consumer is liable for the overages. Not a situation I want to get into.

Who does your insurance company work with the most? 3yrs ago I had hail damage and the roofing company I selected knew the State Farm adjustor and knew exactly what State Farm needed so if they are doing any volume in roofing they have got to be working with insurance companies.

They wont really say as to not show favoritism to any one company. They suggest I do as I did, get estimates, and look for certified licensed tradesman, with a record at the local BBB.

1. BBB ratings are paid for by the company. They are not necessarily earned. I know, I'm on there and the rating will never increase unless you pay them more. All BS, IMO

2. It's not legal for an insurance company to "steer" you to any Contractor.

3. You need to show the contractor of your choice the paperwork from the adjuster, so they can be bidding apples to apples and on the same things. Some include drip edge, some don't. Some include valleys and vents, some don't....etc. etc. etc.

4. It is not true that Roofing contractors have stick piles of shingles. Usually it's either a price issue or with most non stormers it's a quality issue, as to which brand they prefer.

5. Insurance companies don't need bids. They pay according to what the selected Contractor quotes or they will simply use Xactimate.

6. With all the work down there, the Contractors are not going to mess with anyone wanting bids. There are plenty of insured's that will pay their price and allow them to work with the insurance company.

7. Most stormers use "south of the border" cheap labor. Beware! You are just lining someone's pockets who obviously doesn't care about quality. You are paying Premiums every month, you deserve a premium claim and premium craftsmanship.

1. BBB ratings are paid for by the company. They are not necessarily earned. I know, I'm on there and the rating will never increase unless you pay them more. All BS, IMO

2. It's not legal for an insurance company to "steer" you to any Contractor.

3. You need to show the contractor of your choice the paperwork from the adjuster, so they can be bidding apples to apples and on the same things. Some include drip edge, some don't. Some include valleys and vents, some don't....etc. etc. etc.

4. It is not true that Roofing contractors have stick piles of shingles. Usually it's either a price issue or with most non stormers it's a quality issue, as to which brand they prefer.

5. Insurance companies don't need bids. They pay according to what the selected Contractor quotes or they will simply use Xactimate.

6. With all the work down there, the Contractors are not going to mess with anyone wanting bids. There are plenty of insured's that will pay their price and allow them to work with the insurance company.

7. Most stormers use "south of the border" cheap labor. Beware! You are just lining someone's pockets who obviously doesn't care about quality. You are paying Premiums every month, you deserve a premium claim and premium craftsmanship.

I have replied by your number:

3. I did most did not want to see it. What I showed them if they wanted to see it was the paperwork the Insurance co gave me. Fully itemised. I only deleted the dollar amounts so all estimates would be on the same footing.

6. It may be true however the insurance company will only go so far and the rest of the cost is born by the homeowner. Either way the home owner pays because they will recoup the amount by increasing the premium.

7. In my area that is the only labor for most all companies. How can you control that? Tell the contractor not to use migrant workers.

Storm chasers do tend to push one particular brand because if they promise the dealer they'll buy X squares of that particular brand, they get a reduced price since it pushes the dealer's quantity into a better price range.

Personally, I think it is a good thing that #4 wants to discuss the project face to face. With the boom in technology you don't see that too much anymore. This is a big purchase and to me is much better to deal in front of someone versus the impersonal email/text.

first off let me say hail damage. Uh Oh! You're in for trouble. hail storms bring out every con artist and cheat.

Second let me say BBB? LOL, what a con. Do you know how to get an A+ rating witht he BBB? Pay them $1,000 or more per year. That's all, that's ALL it takes to get an A+ rating. Some of the WORST companies in my area have an a+ rating with numerous complaints. Hmmmm makes you wonder.

I don't provide an estimate unless the customer agrees to meet with me face to face. That doesn't mean I will high pressure them or anything like that. More often than not I won't provide the estimate that day. However I need to get to know them, explain their options, and make sure they are the kind of person I want to do business with. Not everyone is. From a customer point of view, I don't understand how customers would potentially sign a $10-20,000.00 check not having met the person taking their money. Just ridiculious.

Sometimes the savings that comes from doing it yourself can be blown away with one mistake.
The information found in this post is not to be considered legal advice. All information should be considered relative, not specific. Never attempt any repairs you are not comfortable with. Always maintain safety! The author of this post takes no responsibility for any losses that occur. Use at your own risk.

first off let me say hail damage. Uh Oh! You're in for trouble. hail storms bring out every con artist and cheat.

Second let me say BBB? LOL, what a con. Do you know how to get an A+ rating witht he BBB? Pay them $1,000 or more per year. That's all, that's ALL it takes to get an A+ rating. Some of the WORST companies in my area have an a+ rating with numerous complaints. Hmmmm makes you wonder.

I don't provide an estimate unless the customer agrees to meet with me face to face. That doesn't mean I will high pressure them or anything like that. More often than not I won't provide the estimate that day. However I need to get to know them, explain their options, and make sure they are the kind of person I want to do business with. Not everyone is. From a customer point of view, I don't understand how customers would potentially sign a $10-20,000.00 check not having met the person taking their money. Just ridiculious.

In the case of the contractor #4 They sent an estimator and he did his thing and a couple of days I got the estimate. I spoke to him directly by phone for more than an hour and asked for a follow up on a few issues. He said fine and we agreed that I would send the questions via email that way he could answer them at his leisure. Turns out his office assistant answered the email but she was not knowledgeable so I had to have a personal meeting at his office to get those questions answered. Bottom line #4 impressed me so I have hired him to do the job. I was told I had to wait a week before the job would start. I just got a call yesterday letting me know that the start day would be extended 3 days.
I'm pretty confident #4 will do a nice job. My only worry at this point is that we don't get leaks with the new roof.